410 THE GANNET 



persons, and in particular of Mr. William Girvan, who, 

 for many years with his brother netted the sea-fowl on 

 Ailsa Craig, of which he is still the tenant. Mr. Girvan at 

 once said that it was not at all an uncommon thing for 

 Gannets to be caught in nets set at from sixty to 

 seventy-two feet (ten to twelve fathoms) — which is the 

 usual depth for them with the fishermen there — the 

 nets being generally weighted with heavy stones to keep 

 them down. 



This, Mr. William Leckie of Ballantrae, an equally good 

 witness, has since by letter corroborated, he having on 

 different occasions seen Gannets, and also Cormorants,* 

 brought up in the fishermen's nets, which nets he could 

 safely say were set at from sixty to ninety feet down, and 

 the birds must have penetrated to that depth to get into 

 them. Mr. Leckie has also seen Guillemots brought up in 

 nets which were set at a depth of a hundred and twenty 

 feet, and of this I have confirmation from the Girvan-town 

 fishermen, through Mr. R. Tannahill, the harbour-master 



* Mr. T. H. Nelson mentions Cormorants taken on the Yorkshire coast 

 at thirty feet (' Birds of Yorkshire," II., p. 378), and Mr. H. Saunders, 

 Shags which were taken at a hundred and twenty feet, but witliout saying 

 when or where ("British Birds," IV., p. 153). To Mr. Ticehurst I am 

 indebted for the reference. Colonel Feilden has known Eider Ducks to 

 dive sixty feet (" Geogr. Jour.," 1898, p. 341). 



